As the Houston Texans continue to win, I find myself entering new writing territory. I firmly believe that this Sunday’s game at Reliant Stadium against the Cleveland Browns is the biggest stone cold lock of the century (of franchise history). 

I do not say that to arrogantly offend Jacksonville DT Terrance Knighton or our peers from Dawgs By Nature, but I firmly believe the Texans are the more talented team (and will be the more talented team in every game through Week 17). 

It is because of this supreme arrogance that will come to bite me in the butt on Sunday perceived difference in talent that I had a hard time deciding if I would write a blueprint or not.  Still, I have to look at the statistics and metrics because perhaps I truly am overlooking something about the Browns. If I find something I am overlooking, I have to do my best to make sure head coach Gary Kubiak gets the memo loud and clear before Sunday. 

Would you kindly jump to the other side to continue reading?

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I try to fight the decade-long conditioning that whatever bad thing could happen will happen. Web pages like this one with the two very nice mentions are quite helpful, but things have not been too different for your Houston Texans in the past decade. 

The boys in Battle Red struggle and disappoint when you expect big things from them, only to dominate when you doubt them. This week is one brimming with confidence when it comes to the visiting 2-5 Jacksonville Jaguars, but a closer look gives reason to cause doubt in my mind.

Gary Kubiak’s House of Offensive Fun is not an overly complicated beast to understand. Everything is predicated off of the run. Behind a solid offensive line, Arian Foster and Ben Tate are as strong a foundation ever seen for the Shanahan West Coast Offense. Of course, that is if they can get going and make the defenses respect their ability to run, which turns the play action fake from a nice toy to a WDD – Weapon of Defensive Destruction. 

Yes, the Jaguars have a terrible offense, averaging only 12 points per game (31st), giving up 3 sacks per game (t-29th), with a league-worst 128.4 passing yards per game, and an equally as bad 60.4 quarterback rating. However, they also have the defensive tools to stall the Texans' offense and stay in this game if Kubiak is not paying attention.

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I must admit, sometimes it is hard to write these blueprints because I try to avoid repeating myself. Lately, it seems as if you could simply put the game on the backs of the offensive line and however they perform will determine the outcome. They bullied Pittsburgh but could not do the same to Oakland or Baltimore.

I could jump to metrics for the Tennessee Titans, but how can I take their defense seriously when they’ve played four offenses that rank 20th or worse on that little Outsiders site and four that would qualify as average-to-below average in raw cumulative stats. If I did stick to the metrics, I could just write about how Houston needs to utilize the tight ends...again. Bore, snore.

The real fun would be in dissecting the Titans' passing attack (4th in DVOA, 9th in yards per game) as they have faced defenses that average a respectable FO-rank of 11.6. A large part of this success is due to the fact that Tennessee protects Matt Hasselbeck very well, as evidenced by their seven sacks allowed – technically tied for the lead with Buffalo and Oakland, even though both those teams have played one more game.

Of course, that would be similar to what's been said before since it’s all about pressuring the quarterback. The Titans have protected Hasselbeck well, but I could point out how Wade’s defense did against similar pass-blocking stalwart Oakland by harassing Jason Campbell all day to the tune of three sacks and twelve hits. I would then stress that the defense must bring the same unpredictability from last week's game to keep Hasselbeck off target, as Pittsburgh did to him a few weeks ago. 

I don't want to repeat myself though. Luckily, this song I discovered by John Lennon gets the point across instantly to Mr. Hasselbeck.

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After a week absence, due to using all the good material on Battle Red Radio (give it a listen this week for UT and MDC), the Deep Steel Blueprint makes its glorious return for the hardest remaining game on the 2011 schedule of your Houston Texans.

On Sunday, the Texans make their way to Baltimore to take on the vaunted Ravens. The owners of the third-best defense in the NFL, according to yards. Metrics-wise, Baltimore owns the best defense in the NFL. It’s no wonder that many people have chalked this up as a loss, as the defense is stout, to say the least.

However, there is a little voice in my head that questions this year’s version of the defense. Those questions are there because of the list of offensive juggernauts shut down by Baltimore: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, St. Louis, and New York. Statistically and metrically, Pittsburgh is the best offense faced (12th yardage/10th metrics), and we’ve seen firsthand what that means.

Am I saying there is hope? Am I saying there is a way to move the ball against the Baltimore defense that those other "offenses" weren’t equipped to do? If there is a small crack in the armor that Houston can exploit, I’m sure Simon and Garfunkel can help us find it.

Do I even need to tell you to jump after that vague tease? 

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Before I delve into a Deep Steel Blueprint, I have to express a ton of joy about Sunday’s game. As The 506 shows us, the Houston Texans are hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers in, what is essentially, a nationally broadcast game. On behalf of those outside the southeast part of Texas, with the exception of a few areas, I can say it will be a Durgasend to not have to search for a way to watch or be behind in watching a broadcast. Everyone should be able to watch at the same time, which will make for a fun gamethread.

My joy at being freed from being forced by NFL television rules to watch only Minnesota-Kansas City aside, I am also optimistic about Sunday’s game. I am respectful of the history of Pittsburgh's professional football franchise, but the present is not as intimidating as I thought it would be when the schedule came out.

So far, Pittsburgh’s been dominated in Baltimore, shut out an eastern-traveling and awful Seattle team (no offense, UT), and struggled in Lucas Oil Stadium against the Indianapolis ManninglessColts. The offensive line is held together by duct tape and journeymen, and the defense is starting to gray. 

Even with all of these encouraging signs, you have to wonder what the Texans will need to do to beat the Steelers. Wonder no more and hit the jump.

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When trying to think of ways I would hope the Houston Texans could scheme against the New Orleans Saints, I began looking at New Orleans’ first two games. In those games, Green Bay won a shootout and did what it wanted to the Saints' defense, while Chicago was little more than a speed bump. Their Football Outsiders stats reflect these vastly different outcomes as they showed a big jump between the weeks, defensively at least. As I scratched my head and thought, I realized I couldn't talk about the offense. 

Aside from needing to pick up the blitzes drawn up by New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (will we see a rare screen pass?!), I can’t really determine if New Orleans is more susceptible to the run or pass (and if pass, which receiver is the best statistical target).

In other words, there wasn't a lot of meat to a Houston offense-New Orleans defense angle. Also, it would be ignoring the elephant in the room – Houston’s defense and how improved it really is.

Yes, I suppose it would make more sense to see what Houston can do to stop the Ariel Breessault. Make the jump to see what, if anything, can be done to stop Drew Brees and his myriad of targets.

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I don’t have an official source on this story, but I don’t think I would be too far off if I said Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak was giggling like a child while watching the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. 

It was not because he was enamored with seeing a former back-up quarterback, much like he once was, throw for 517 yards. Nor was it because Ron Jaworski said a naughty word or Jon Gruden showed off his vocabulary of about 12 words – many of which can be understood by an...oh, hi there, BRB Aggies.

Coach Kubiak was giggling because the Deep Steel Blueprint presented itself as obviously as it could and it just so happens to involve Gary’s favorite toys.

To reach 2-0, Kubiak is going to have to unleash his tight ends upon Miami and strike with furious anger and clever route design. Jump with me to take a look at Miami's struggles on Monday night and how Houston can exploit them.

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It seems that everyone is chiming in with season predictions for the Houston Texans, but I will hold off on mine until the end of this here post.

Now that the games matter, I can delve back into the Deep Steel Blueprint. Given the potentially season-ending injury to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, some of you may think the game is all but won, due to sheer talent differential between the teams, which would make this little exercise pointless. I don't fall into that line of thinking whatsoever (at least, I have to tell myself that to keep the motivation up to write this piece). Without any real statistics available for the season, this week will be more or less what I think will and should happen.

Hit the jump to see my blueprint for Sunday's season-opening game as well as my own predictions for the 2011 Texans.

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